Training video production is important because corporate training videos are extremely effective at training new hires. Videos are more interesting and engaging than a word document, which increases the likelihood that your employees will retain the information you’re trying to teach them. In addition, corporate training videos make it easier for the training team. Videos are easily accessible and can be reused for similar training sessions in the future.

There’s just one problem, however — what if you want to create a training video with zero experience in training video production?

It can be a daunting task, but don’t worry. At ClearMix, we’re experts in corporate training video production, and we’re ready to educate you on the process from start to finish. By the end of this article, you’ll walk away feeling confident enough to create the best training videos for your company that will help you easily onboard new hires (or train existing ones).

Training Video Pre-Production: Planning, Logistics, and Scripting

The most important step to take in training video production is, of course, planning. Creating a clear plan at the beginning will make the rest of the production process significantly easier. Here are some things you need to decide:

Goals

First off, you need to know your desired outcome after someone watches the video, as it will determine the direction you’ll be taking. Is this video a welcome video, introducing the company culture, talking about how to use the brand? Is it for onboarding new hires or teaching existing employees about new processes or policies? Do you simply want to inform, or do you also want to entertain? Will the video be re-used in the future?

Type of Video

The type of video best used for corporate training video production will vary depending on your goals. Three of the basic types you can consider using are:

• On Camera: Some people may refer to this as “presenter-style”. A person, whether it is the CEO, another senior level member, or training personnel, are on screen and speaking directly to the camera. They may have a whiteboard behind them, or put relevant information on screen next to them as they speak. They’re easy to produce and can be used when you’re delivering instructions or disseminating information about new policies or products.
• Tutorial / Lesson: A visual step-by-step of a process or presentation accompanied by a voiceover explaining the steps. If you’re trying to teach employees how to operate digital software or physical equipment, you can do it through a tutorial.
• Animation: Animated visuals are useful for breaking down complicated processes or communicating a more elaborate visual brand identity. They can be expensive to produce, and are generally better suited for external content rather than internal training:

Script, Storyboard, Or Brief

This is where you decide what exactly you want to communicate during your video. The level of detail required depends on the type of video you want to produce. For example, in an animated video, you’ll want a word-by-word script (and likely a voice actor).

In our experience, word-for-word scripts are largely not necessary for other types of videos. Most of us aren’t actors, and reading off of a script can feel forced or awkward when it interferes with our natural speech patterns. Instead, we recommend creating a brief that documents what questions you want the video to answer, and letting the person that’s appearing on-screen address them in their own words. Then we can use editing afterwards to put the best cuts together.

Of course, if you’re doing it on your own, or don’t have access to an editor, you can use a script to avoid the ‘uhms’ and ‘ahhs’. This can work if you’re willing to do multiple takes or are recording a voiceover.

Budget and Equipment

Now that you’ve determined what you want to happen within your training video, start listing down the equipment you’ll need to make it happen. This can include:

• Cameras
• Microphones
• Screen capture software
• Video editing software
• Actors (can be you, other coworkers, or outside talent)
• Props or set pieces
• Permission to film

You don’t have to be overly ambitious with your first training video — stick to a reasonable budget. Most cell phones and laptops can take videos of decent quality and lapel microphones can be relatively inexpensive. Most devices also have screen capture already built-in. You can also find video editing software online for free (e.g. Lightworks).

Timeline

Rushing a project is always a bad idea. However, if it’s your first time engaging in training video production, it can be difficult to determine how much time you actually need. Be cautious and give yourself extra time to handle any unforeseen complications.

Production: Creating the Content

You can accomplish filming in as little as a day if you planned everything beforehand. Two things you need to keep in mind during this stage are:

• Ensuring audio, visual, and lighting quality: While filming, always check how your footage is turning out. Issues like muffled audio, blurred video, or poor lighting are easy to adjust while on set, but it’s significantly more difficult to do so when you’re already editing. Remember that on your shoot day, you need to get all of your content. It’s hard (or impossible) to get the exact same lighting and audio quality again without a professional sound booth, even if you film in the same place at the same time the next day. If you mix footage from different shoots, it can look or sound out of place in the final video.
• Getting B-roll footage: B-roll footage consists of extra shots outside your primary footage, such as atmospheric shots of places or objects, candid footage of people, etc. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting to collect it, as it helps establish narratives or further illustrate your point.

In addition, if these are your company’s first corporate training videos, you’ll want to create a brand package. This will include intros, outros, logos, transitions, names, subtitles, and more that you can use in future videos to make them feel cohesive, custom-made, and high-quality. Clear branding can help convey professionalism to your employees.

Post-Production: Editing the Final Video

When it comes to the editing phase of training video production, you have three options:

• Doing it yourself: This is the most inexpensive option, but also the most difficult for beginners. While there are many beginner-friendly video editing software and tutorials online, it will take a decent amount of time to get the hang of it. At the very least, you’ll likely be able to splice together snippets of video with simple transitions.
• Hiring video editing services: If you have no problem getting the footage yourself, handing it over to video editing services can be a viable way to get a professional, high-quality video.
• Hiring a full-fledged production company: This option is for when you have the budget, but not the time or technical knowledge. A production company will handle everything for you from start to finish.

At ClearMix, we’re a unique full production company that films 100% remotely. That means we can help you simplify the entire process, including filming and gathering content, creating a brand package of video assets, and editing it into a high-quality video that accomplishes your training goals. At the same time, we’re far more affordable and more convenient vs. a traditional onsite production team.

The Easy Route to Corporate Training Video Production

Filming, editing, and producing high-quality corporate training videos is a difficult job. If you’re looking for an easy way to get professional training videos, then schedule a call with one of our video production experts at ClearMix! We handle filming, creating a brand package of video assets, editing, and producing the final video to make corporate training video production easy, affordable, and fast for you.